creating an outdoor room

Kevin O’Shea has spent a lot of time lately designing outdoor spaces. He recently finished the Sky Terrace at the Hudson Hotel, and he’s also designed the outdoor waiting lounge for the Agua Spa at the Mondrian Scottsdale. Kevin is a firm believer in using your outdoor space as an extension of your indoor living space. His finds have me dreaming of dinner under the stars. Unfortunately, I have a terrace-less reality in Brooklyn. Dinner on the fire escape, anyone? OK, Kevin is the expert here, so I’m going to let him take it away! Thanks, Kevin! (And don’t miss the sneak peek of Kevin’s New York City home.)

The key to creating a unique environment outside is to approach the exterior spaces of your home in the same way you created your interiors. One should consider style, function, lighting and mood, and your outdoor room should be an extension of the aesthetics within your home. Retailers have vastly improved the quality and variety of outdoor goods being sold over recent years, which makes it easy to put together an outdoor room that not only fits your own aesthetics but can be tailored to fit any space and budget. This year, don’t settle for the first patio set you see at the hardware store; instead, with a little creative thought, you can create a dynamic outdoor space that reflects your unique tastes and style.

MIX IT UPKeep it eclectic; don’t match all of your outdoor furniture. Rather, buy individual pieces from many sources to create a unique arrangement that reflects your own style. Mix in thrift store finds that you coat in outdoor spray paint for a really unexpected addition to your outdoor room that is also friendly on your wallet. I usually recommend splurging a bit on the items you use the most (sofa, dining table, etc.), and then pairing those with the funkier spray-painted tag-sale finds that may only last a season or two but allow you to refresh your space from year to year.

BUY WHAT YOU ACTUALLY NEED, NOT WHAT YOU THINK YOU NEEDThink about how you intend to use the space and then buy accordingly. For example, if you only use the space in the evening, you don’t need an umbrella, and if you don’t intend to serve meals outside, you don’t need a table. Focus on how you like to entertain, and make sure all of your furniture and accessories support that. Because you are building your room item by item, you are not forced into the prepackaged furniture sets that often have pieces you end up not needing.

AMBIANCE IS CRUCIALA mix of electric lighting and candlelight is important to creating a warm ambiance in your outdoor room. I love to use outdoor lamps that look just like the lamps in your home; they are made to withstand wet weather conditions (if you search “outdoor lamp” online, many options will come up). String lights are another great option, and there are so many varieties of summer-themed strands now available that your patio lighting won’t look like Christmas leftovers. For the candlelight, make sure your flames are protected from the wind. Put your candles into lanterns or hurricanes and mix up the height — put some on the ground, some on tables and, if possible, hang some from hooks or branches above.

THINK OUTSIDE THE (FLOWER) BOXDecorative accessories and artwork are what make any interior room successful, and the same can apply outdoors. Put inexpensive posters in thrift store frames and hang them on a vine-covered trellis or exterior wall for some added whimsy. Rethink the standard flowerpot, and instead, plant your flowers in unique vessels like old teapots, wooden crates or, my personal favorite, old drawers.

SMALL SPACE = BIG POSSIBILITIESIf space is limited, keep it flexible. Your furniture should pull double duty — use stools as extra seating or small tables. Lacquer trays are a great way to serve dinner if you don’t have room for a table; your guests can set the trays on their laps and enjoy their meals.

Most importantly, have fun and challenge yourself. Look around your home, take the elements that make you the happiest and figure out ways to interpret those for the outdoors. You will never look at that boring five-piece patio set at the hardware store the same again.

To get those creative juices flowing, I have put together a few inspiring collections of some of my favorite outdoor products currently available online. Enjoy!

This’ll definitely prove helpful! My dad just moved to an apartment on the Upper West Side, and lucked into a first-floor place with a patio. He’s got no idea what to do with it, but this post is a great start.

I love all these ideas . . . we are so lucky to have a big verandah looking out at our garden and we have been shockingly lazy about doing anything interesting with it. Now, fully inspired!

And I second the objection to the banner ad on the top of the home page – so distracting, and planted RIGHT ON TOP of the beautiful new logo. Too sad! On principle, I ignore the ad (whatever it is selling, I’m not buying).

This is such a great round up! I so miss having a balcony… although I am tempted to buy one of these outdoor rugs for our living room {our cats claw the crap out of our current rug} something more durable would be nice!

I’m wondering if you read minds, because whatever I suddenly become interested in ALWAYS appears on your blog. It’s been this way since I started following about a year ago. Telepathic abilities or not, your posts are always insightful and very inspiring.

Thank you! I’m getting my very first (and very TEENY) backyard in a couple of months and I plan to spend every possible moment soaking up the fresh air. I want my outdoors to be just as much (if not more) a part of my home as the indoors. I love the Modern Morocco look. What is the opinion on hammocks?

We have a roof deck we love using but no space for storing furniture, pillows, etc. through the winter. So whatever furniture we put up there has to be able to withstand the elements year-round. Right now that means a sturdy wooden table with several layers of deck varnish and plastic chairs (alas). I’d love to hear more about furniture that won’t rust or otherwise disintegrate through the winter — but that won’t break the bank, either.

We fashioned our outdoor space (chairs, table, rug, 3 to 4 pots and 5 plants) for less than the price of your normal bog box store patio set. We have great bones, but I’m grateful for this post so now I can get pretty accent pieces! Being in Tennessee, most of our outdoor living happens in the evening once the humidity (and the cicadas) have died down.

Congratulations on the new look of designsponge, like it very much, specially the color range and fonts. you all must be very happy to have it up and running after being waiting for so long…
Love this outdoors ideas, I am hoping weather stay stable in London so I can make my garden terrace to look a it nicer, unfortunately u never know when it is going to rain next…

I love the patio and the red here and there. May I also say I love the new format of the blog. At first it threw me off but it was the second blog that day that had changed on me and I was not ready for it. I really love the days laid out below the main content. Awesome.

These are great ideas for set ups. I particularly like the English Garden. Its so classy and romantic. I have started my patio area revamp but so far all I have are the outdoor dining chairs I found on this site. In case anyone is interested, I found a really good selection here. Thanks for the design ideas! Hope to read more soon.

Love this! Fabulous ideas really! Along with the small space=big possibilities, I would suggest a leather storage ottoman. I LOVE mine. And you can get it in sooo many different colors. They’re convenient and look nice. :) I think anyway.

These are all really great ideas! I love spring because you can be so creative with your colors! One thing that my neighbor did that I really liked was that she hung some flour sack towels on the walls. They looked great, and you could use them if you got your hands wet and were coming outside.

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